• Can't get a seat at Shakespeare in the Park? Plenty of tickets are still available for Shakespeare in the 64th Street Duane Reade and Shakespeare in the Line Outside of Lot 61.

• Your brain didn't go on vacation, either! Check out the Maxim Literary Festival, featuring discussions and readings by Cindy Margolis, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tom Green, Jewel, and Lillian Ross.

• Get ready for Paul Simon in Central Park! He's not performing, but can usually be found sunning himself in the Sheep Meadow. Approach with caution.

• Outdoorsy types will love Taste of New York, a three-month-long alfresco feeding frenzy for New York mosquitoes. (May be canceled on account of spraying.)

• Take a stroll with the Silicon Alley Walking Tour, which features stops at empty lofts, reconverted warehouses, and Josh Harris's apartment.

• Since this season isn't all about having fun, don't miss Scared Straight!: Upper West Side, a field trip during which liberals visit Al Sharpton in jail, where he frightens them with tales of his "Vieques-celent" adventures.

• New York is eBook Country!: This festival does not exist.

• And last but not least, don't forget to attend the Paris and Nicky Hilton Open House.

Related:

• Archive: “Gotham: Life in the New City”
• Table of Contents: Jun 18, 2001 issue of New York | Subscribe!